The Reason I Stay
by Jerri Writes
Summary: Mousse decides to write a letter to his mother about his reasoning for staying in Nerima chasing Shampoo. Set a few weeks following the failed wedding. Rated T.


**Disclaimer:** I own a lot of things. I own a car. I own my clothes. You know what I don't own? Ranma 1/2.

* * *

_Mom,_

_Thanks for the letter. It pleases me to know that you are doing well. Being apart from you these past few years has made me miss you terribly, if only because I forgotten how it feels to be loved unconditionally. Not to say I'm not doing well here, mind you! Elder Cologne and Shampoo have been…hospitable. I'm still getting free room and board from them while I work at their restaurant, the Cat Café here in Nerima._

_I'm sure you realized it by now, but to answer your question (Request? Demand? Seriously, how many times do you get to ask the same thing over and over and it's still considered a question?), I will not be leaving anytime soon. You know as well as I do that I cannot leave just yet. I know you think I'm wasting my time; that I seek something that cannot be obtained. Hell, there are days were I feel you're right. I know that I'm strong enough to defeat any woman of my choosing back home. But I don't want any of those women. My desire is deeper than finding a mere mate._

_You see…_

**The Reason I Stay**

* * *

"Mousse! Why you no help Great-Grandmother in kitchen!?" Shampoo practically shouts at me. I turn towards her to watch her cute little pout form on her lips. She's really consistent about her facial expressions. She always looks like that when she's annoyed…or when she's looking at me. Maybe hospitable may have been the wrong word to use. "Great-Grandmother want you to wash dishes." She blinks when she notices the pen in my hand. "What you doing?"

"Oh, I'm just responding to my mother's letter." I say, though it's more than that. Whether Mom likes it or not, I need to explain to her why I'm not going to leave Nerima just yet. I've tried to explain why I'm so devoted to Shampoo before, but she never really understood. Perhaps a heart to heart letter will help? And besides, she deserves something after her constant attempts to make me return home.

"You tell her you going back home now? Is good plan." Shampoo asks. You know, she really doesn't have to look so happy with the idea of me returning home. Seriously, why would I head back home now when we were just at Jusenkyo a few weeks ago? I know her broken Japanese makes her sound stupid at times, but this is one of those rare times where I question if she really is or not.

"Not really. I'm not finished with Nerima just yet." I wasn't really lying about that either. While Shampoo will always be my main focus while I'm staying here (or anywhere really), being in a different country had its benefits. My knowledge about Japan has improved significantly, as my reading and writing of Japanese. Plus I'm enjoying my stay here, which is more than I can say about the village.

"That too bad. She wait long for son." I can't help but notice that her pout has returned. I'm starting to wonder if she really feels sorry for my mother or if the thought of me staying is that unappealing. I'm really hoping it's the former. "I'm sure she understands," I mutter. She will for certain after she gets the letter, anyway.

Shampoo nods and turns towards my door. "Best no keep Great-Grandmother waiting," she says, before leaving without waiting for a response. I take one more glance at the paper on my desk before running downstairs to take care of those dishes.

* * *

_Shampoo isn't exactly what I would call a "normal" by any stretch of my imagination. I doubt my fascination with her would be nearly as strong as it is if she was like all the other women of the village. No, Shampoo is unique. Whether she tries to or not, she always finds a way of standing out from the crowd…_

_…like befriending me. That action alone singled her out amongst the children back then._

_I'll never forget what life was like before we learned how to fix my vision problem. Sure you were understanding, but to the others in the village I was the stupid kid that wouldn't face them when talking. I actually thought it would be a little better when I got glasses, but of course I wasn't that lucky. I went from being stupid to being an outsider simply because we had to get special permission to visit an eye doctor in the outside world._

_Yet there was one that didn't find amusement in my suffering. One day after a particularly bad day of name calling, I hid from everyone in my special spot back home. I guess I wasn't was sneaky as I thought I was, because Shampoo easily found me. I actually snapped at her, if you can believe that. I thought she followed me all the way to my sanctuary just to tease me like the others. She looked hurt, but instead of snapping back she congratulated me. She told me self-improvement in any way was cause for celebration. Have you ever experience happy confusion Mom? That's what I call the feeling I get when I'm not sure what's going on but I'm happy because it's better than the alternative. Oh man was I feeling happily confused that day. It would have been easy for this girl to join in on the taunting, but she rose above that and was actually being nice. I, in turn, started being really nice with her as well. We became friends that day._

_This is going to sound stupid, but I knew she was similar to me because she was different like me. All I knew about her before becoming her friend back then was that she was going to be someone important in the village's future. Elder Cologne saw to that. She was grooming Shampoo to our best fighter while expecting her to lead the way in other studies. Self-Improvement, I would learn from Shampoo, was one of the cornerstones of her great-grandmother's training._

_If I only knew what the other cornerstone was back then, maybe I could have been saved from all this trouble. Then again, knowing that Shampoo was very traditional and followed our ancient laws didn't exactly help Ranma either._

* * *

By the time I get down to the kitchen, Cologne and Shampoo were talking about some potion Cologne was showing Shampoo. These days, I like to play a game with their conversations. I give myself three guesses on what they were talking about. I don't like to brag, but I'm pretty good at the game. I usually get it right on my first guess.

"…won't know what hit him. He'll be yours before the sun sets child!" Cologne says. The correct answer is: Ranma! Wow, got it first try again! They really need to up the difficulty for me. Maybe talk about weather sometime. Or maybe talk about how they plan to win me over for a change. I'd lose that round in a heartbeat.

"Great-Grandmother sure this work?" Shampoo asks as I start washing a large pile of dirty dishes. I can't help but sigh. Nothing has change. Not the goal, not the scheming, not the tactics. You would think they would have given up after the marriage attempt, but were only encouraged at its failure. I guess they didn't care about the fact that we are partially responsible for that failure. Ranma already expressed his true feelings to Akane that day at Jusenkyo.

"Shampoo no win Ranma from Violent Girl with potion." Shampoo says, slightly disheartened. Maybe, she's thinking the same thing. After all, she couldn't ignore Ranma's actions when he thought Akane died could she?

"Shampoo, we can still make Ranma yours. This is a matter of your honor! He just needs a little…persuasion. He'll forget all about Akane with a few drops of this." Cologne says. Shampoo only nodded in silent agreement.

"Quickly child! Go make Ranma yours!" Cologne tells Shampoo as she heads back to making food for her customers. As Shampoo pedals away on her bike, Cologne addresses me. "You, on the other hand, will stay here to help me with the restaurant while Shampoo is away." Her look is piercing, as though she is expecting me to challenge her.

Well, she wouldn't be our village's leader if she wasn't perceptive. Without even addressing her, I turn and dash out of the café.

* * *

_Ranma. Why does that name evoke so much frustration yet so much joy in me at the same time!? Oh sure, the guy is my competition when it comes to being Shampoo's boyfriend (ironic considering he spends much of his time as a girl, I must say) yet at the same time he has been a great rival to train with as well. I owe the guy a lot when it comes to my increased speed and endurance, though I'll never tell him that to his face. And Although Shampoo hasn't given up on the idea that they can be a couple, I'm pretty sure Ranma has._

_He showed that few weeks ago, actually. We fought together against a great enemy to save Shampoo and a girl here by the name of Akane. While I did my part and saved Shampoo, Ranma killed a God (that was nowhere near the cursed springs of Jusenkyo, just to be clear) to save Akane. I come to realize that his heart and soul belongs to that girl. To be fair to Ranma, I think that's always been the case. I guess I have been blind (ha ha) to the truth. But to be fair to myself, it wasn't easy to see considering he has more fiancés (Including some guys!) than I can count!_

_Still, Shampoo ignores all that to chase Ranma. I suppose that's what happens when you give someone their free will back. Oh, yeah, I guess I should mentioned that; I had a chance to make Shampoo my slave! She was under the influence of some form of magic (Which definitely wasn't created by the legendary bird creatures of Mount Phoenix!) that made her attack us! She tried to use the same magic on us, but we were able to deflect it back onto her. We decided that when she awoke we would force her to look at me, making me her new Master. I'm not going to lie and say it wasn't tempting. Thoughts of her willingly going out with me came into my head. But in that moment I was reminded that a slave is not the same thing as a girlfriend. Ultimately, she would go out with me because I ordered her to, not because she wanted to be with me. That didn't sit well with me. It all came back to self-improvement I guess. How would she continue to better herself if she had to obey all my commands? How could she lead our village when she followed me? No, I couldn't do that to her. I found a mirror and forced her to look at herself when she woke._

_It does kind of hurt that she would still chase Ranma over me after all that. Then again, she's always been very traditional. I blame Elder Cologne for that. I blame myself for not understanding our laws sooner. Maybe I would have figured out the full consequences to losing to her in a fight meant. I thought it was something friends did. At least that's what I overheard from adults. "Fight a friend to spare her from marrying someone that simply overpowered her. That way both be happy for the rest of your life!" I really liked the idea of being happy all my life, so I rushed over and challenged Shampoo. The rest is history, I suppose._

* * *

I ran as fast as I could over rooftops, but I managed to catch up to Shampoo a few blocks before she reached the Tendo Dojo.

_"I see you're going through with the old hag's plan." _I say to Shampoo in Mandarin. She glanced back at me with a curious look. We usually save use of our native language for important conversations. Well, I would say this is a pretty important one. And besides, if we are going to talk about our relationship, we might as well do it on equal footing. "_I guess you really are desperate to force Ranma to love you."_ Tried as I might, I couldn't help the undercurrent of hurt in my voice.

Shampoo turned and glared at me. I guess I struck a nerve. _"You truly don't understand, Mousse. Ranma does love me, but he won't express it around **Akane**."_ She practically spat the girl's name. Good. It means she actually has been paying attention these last few weeks after all. I can't believe she thinks she has a shot after what he did to Saffron.

_"Yeah, he loves you so much that you need to poison the guy to make him yours. I'm sure that's all Akane's fault."_ You know, pissing off the Amazon who has consistently kicked my ass growing up probably wasn't the best plan I ever made. Shampoo looks absolutely livid. Too bad I can't back down now. I'm sure Cologne will mail my partial letter along with what's left of my broken corpse back home to Mom.

_"My love doesn't realize his mistake, Mousse! They're still caught up in the moment. He saved her, so now she's being nice to him! And he's being nice to her because she nearly died! But they won't work together for much longer. Soon they will go back to fighting all the time and being unhappy. He would be better off with me! I just need to make him see it!"_ As much as Shampoo is trying to justify her actions, the frown forming on her face tells me she doesn't really believe that either. Maybe this is way of trying to save face after all her effort to claim Ranma for herself.

_"I'm no fan of Ranma, but I think he has a right and the **free will **to make that decision for himself."_ And there it is. I just equated her magical potion to the surikomi-eggs that enslaved her. Her sudden guilty expression doesn't exactly make me feel better about the comparison. _"And a part of me thinks that you think so too."_

_"What do you know!? You should just head back home to mother and stop interfering!"_ Shampoo says, her rage returning.

_"I'm sorry Shampoo, but I'm afraid that's going to happen!" _I snap, rage starting to fill inside me as well.

_"Why not?"_ She asks, her eyes challenging me to come up with a retort.

I pause for a minute to collect myself._ "Because my love doesn't realize she's making a mistake. She would be better off with me. I just need to make her see it."_ I say as calmly as I can. The silence that followed was almost unbearable. That had to be my smoothest line ever. I expected some swooning or a declaration of love after that. I guess I'm just a romantic.

Shampoo sagged a bit before responding. Her face is full of sudden concern, as if she is worried about hurting me. _"Mousse-"_

_"Forget it."_ I harshly cut her off as quickly as possible. I can't take another "we're just friends" rejection speech right now. I glance at the Tendo Dojo before heading towards the café_. "Do what you will. I still need to take care of that letter to my mother before the day is over with."_

It takes all my energy to continue walking away as her voice calls out my name.

* * *

_Still, I think I'm starting to make progress Mom. I'm sure by now she truly knows I love her. And I get the feeling she really doesn't want me to give up. I've seen her smile forming when I agree to do chores for her. I heard her genuine laughter when I bump into walls or talk to brooms. Heck, she has given gifts to me (which were totally intended for me and no one else). Yes, we still fight. Yes we argue about her pursuit of Ranma. But at the end of the day, she knows that devotion is something that Ranma will never provide, yet I have done so willingly. She knows that even though Ranma is the better fighter, I'm the better man. And that is something worth staying for._

* * *

"What do you mean it didn't work!?" I can hear Cologne from all the way up here in my room. I quickly seal Mom's letter and head downstairs to see what she's shouting about. To my surprise, Shampoo is back from the Tendo Dojo. And Cologne is frustrated that something didn't work…oh.

I know I should be happy that their plan failed, but I can't help but feel betrayed. I guess she went through with it after all.

"Shampoo no understand. Ranma drink potion, but still no love Shampoo." Wait a minute, something was off. Shampoo seemed pretty upset, but it's wasn't her usual frustration when her plans involving Ranma failed. If anything, she seemed a little too frustrated. Kind of like an act of how this scenario would normally be playing out. Cologne's more perceptive than I am, but I guess her own frustration is preventing her to see it.

"Well, I will find something else we can use, child." Cologne says.

"Shampoo no hurry." Shampoo replied.

I decided to intervene before it was too late. "Uh…I'm going to the mailbox. Do you, uh, need anything?" I only receive a glare from Cologne. Understandable, considering I've been hiding from her since I ran out this afternoon.

"Shampoo come with." Shampoo says as she drags me out of the café, leaving Cologne speechless.

The path down to the mailbox was a long and quiet one for both of us. I was lost in thought about the whole ordeal. I have so many questions for her. But the only one I truly cared about slipped from my lips before I could stop it.

"So, did you even try using the potion on Ranma?" I ask, slightly afraid of the answer.

She paused for a minute before replying. "Shampoo no what you talking" She says, a slight grin forming on her lips.

It takes a moment before my lips to mirror hers.

* * *

_So Mom, please be patient with me. I doubt you'll have to wait much longer._

_Love,_

_Mousse_

* * *

**Author's Note**

So this is my first attempt at writing in general for people other than myself. This took me a while to complete for various reasons. First off, I'm not use to fleshing ideas out. I usually type out ideas and dialogue, which turns into daydreaming the story rather than reading one. So writing the story took some time. Second, I chose characters that I really don't care about for this story. Don't get me wrong, Mousse is a decent character, but I can't stand Shampoo. So, I felt that if I could write her in a positive light, I could tackle my favorite characters better than if I started out with them. Third, Shampoo and Mousse stories are just so in demand. If you look up stories in which they are paired on this website you get 62 stories overall, with 43 of them completed and 27 of them in English. The last English one was completed in 2010. So yeah, messing up a Shampoo x Mousse story wouldn't be the same as a Ranma x Ryoga...err...Akane story. If I felt like I messed this story up then it wouldn't matter, because no one would really care.

I really cared about this story though. I've been sitting on the idea for about 6 months and some version of a rough draft for 3 months (true story). I kept tweaking things here or there, because it wasn't perfect. It will get destroyed in its current state, I told myself. I'm still really nervous about that, but I decided I need feedback in order to make it better, so here we are.

**PFF** -Pure Fan Fiction. Backstory and character development is not addressed as it is expect you as a reader knows the original work of fiction (that we are fans of!) These stories will be short one-offs.

Please feel free to tell me what you think!


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